The modern Mongolian language emerged in its present form in the early 1920s, and a new, 35-letter alphabet was implemented in the '40s. Roughly 5 million people across the world speak the language, which uses cyrillic characters. When learning Mongolian, it's important to remember that not every English word has a Mongolian equivalent. For instance, Mongolian speakers don't use prepositions, and verbs are most often placed at the ends of sentences. If you're planning a trip to Mongolia, a few basic phrases will go a long way in helping you communicate, get around and be polite.
Hello and goodbye are essential pieces of the conversational puzzle in any language, and Mongolian is no exception. Mongolians usually begin conversations with "Hello, how are you?" or "Sain bainuu?" Respond to that question by saying "Sain. Sainuu?" or "Good. How are You?" When it comes time to part ways with your new Mongolian friend, say goodbye by saying "Bayartai." You could also go with "See you later," which is "Daraa uulzii."
As a tourist, you're a representative of your home country, so you'll want to be sure you are as polite as possible. The pinnacle of any polite exchange is saying thank you, or "Bayarllaa." If someone thanks you, reply with "Zugair zugair," which means "You're welcome" or "No problem." If you're in a crowd and accidentally bump someone or need to pass, say "Uuchlaarai," which means "I'm sorry" or "Excuse me," depending on the context. It's always polite to wish someone a good morning, afternoon or evening -- "Ogloonii mend," "Odriin mend" and "Oroin mend," respectively.
Getting from one attraction to another will likely be one of your main concerns. A few basic Mongolian phrases can help you get around, but, if your request or question is complicated, you should start by asking the person if he/she speaks English -- "Ta angliar yaridag ve?" If you're trying to communicate in Mongolian, ask if he/she understands: "Che oilgoj bainuu?" If you don't understand, say "Ohclaarai. Be oilgohgui bain," which translates to "I'm sorry. I don't understand." If you need to know where a particular monument or attraction is, say the name of the place followed by "... haan baidag wei?" to ask where it is. To ask where the bathroom is, say "Biye zasakh gazar khaana baidag ve?" Knowing how to say yes and no can be helpful in a variety of situations. Say "tiim" for yes and "ugui" for no. When enlisting the help of a local, ask politely "Nadad tuslahgui yu?" which means "Can you help me?"
You'll probably want to buy souvenirs and sample some traditional Mongolian food. To ask a shop owner how much a particular item is, say "Ene ymar unetei ve?" which means "How much is this?" The Mongolian currency is called tugrik, and you'll need to know at least a few basic numbers to understand prices and units. The numbers one through 10 are teg, khoyor, gurav, duruv, tav, zurgaa, doloo, naim, yus and arav. To order something in a restaurant, say "Be" and the name of the menu item, and follow it with "idmeer bain." To ask what something on the menu is, say "Ene yu ve?"
